NEW DOT DRUG TESTING REGULATIONS EFFECTIVE 01-01-2018

posted Mar 6, 2018, 8:03 AM by Karen Sassaman

ACT NOW: Important drug testing changes

Changes to the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) drug-testing
regulations took effect January 1, 2018 and already we are seeing a
major impact. The percentage of laboratory positive tests has doubled and the number of safety warnings issued by the MRO has gone up even more. If
you act now, there are ways to keep your
workplace safer, avoid positive tests and prevent
employees from being removed due to safety letters.

What
happened?

Four
New Opioids, a Change from "Opiates" to "Opioids" and a delay in safety warnings

Effective January 1, 2018,
the Final Rule added four semi-synthetic opioids to DOT's standard 5-panel drug

testing: hydrocodone; hydromorphone;
oxymorphone;
and oxycodone.
In addition, the regulations rename the
category or class
of drugs currently
referred to as " opiates" to "opioids."

Medical Review Officers (M RO' s) always issued safety warnings to employers when the
MRO learned of information
during the
post -drug
test interview with the employee/ urine donor that would likely
lead to the employee
being medically
disqualified . What is new is the "5 day
pause." The employee has 5 business
days to have his or her physician contact the MRO to discuss the safety issue. For example, if an
employee tests
positive for
oxycodone and
presents a prescription
to the MRO, the MRO
would tell the
employee that there
is a potential safety issue and that the employee has 5 business days to have the
prescribing physician contact
the MRO to discuss. After 5 days or after the
discussion takes place, whichever
comes first, the MRO will then report the safety
issue to the employer
if the issue cannot beresolved.